cosmic-sentience
The chapter features a vast, non-corporeal sentient being that perceives and interacts with cosmic phenomena on a grand scale.
2 chapters across 1 book
Up the Walls of the World (1978)James Tiptree, Jr.
In this chapter, a vast, solitary sentient entity experiments with its time-manipulation powers independently, focusing on faint emanations from small star systems. Despite its efforts, the signals it tries to comprehend remain elusive and incomplete, prompting it to consider the possibility of an internal deficit or unfinished process within itself. The entity then becomes intrigued by a strong, filament-like time-free emission and attempts to trace its source, marking a shift from passive observation to active pursuit.
In this chapter, a vast cosmic entity experiences internal turmoil triggered by a small sentient presence it has taken aboard. The entity perceives disturbing transmissions both from within and outside itself, linked to a mysterious concept of 'life' that challenges its understanding and provokes anger, confusion, and a reluctant hesitation to destroy the small passenger. Despite its attempts to cleanse itself of this alien influence, the entity faces an unbearable tension and a cryptic call to 'activate,' culminating in a sudden, universe-altering event.